The official website of the Australian Department of Home Affairs has updated and published the current processing times for visa and citizenship applications worldwide. For various types of Australian immigration visas, two processing times have been announced, which represent the time required to process 75% and 90% of applications submitted globally for immigration to Australia. The processing time is calculated from the date the Department of Home Affairs receives a complete application.
1. Processing Times for Australian Immigration Visas in 2017
As the Australian government tightens foreign labor visa and citizenship policies, the Department of Home Affairs is moving towards a higher level of automated services for processing visa and citizenship applications. Since the beginning of this fiscal year, the Department has reduced its workforce by 355 staff members. The Secretary of the Department recently informed the Senate that he cannot guarantee that the waiting times for applicants awaiting Australian citizenship, refugee status, or permanent immigration visas will not be extended. Currently, the latest announced processing times for Australian immigration visa applications are as follows:
1. Employer-Sponsored Immigration Visa Subclass 186: 75% of applications require a waiting time of 9 months, and 90% require 11 months.
2. Employer-Sponsored Immigration Visa Subclass 187: 75% of applications require a waiting time of 13 months, and 90% require 14 months.
3. Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189: 75% of applications require a waiting time of 4 months, and 90% require 6 months.
4. Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190: 75% of applications require a waiting time of 4 months, and 90% require 7 months.
5. Business Innovation and Investment Visa Subclass 188: 75% of applications require a waiting time of 14 months, and 90% require 17 months.
2. Factors Affecting Australian Visa Processing Times
Compared to previous visa processing times, the approval speed for the Business Innovation and Investment Visa has improved, while the processing times for the Employer-Sponsored Visa Subclass 187 and the Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190 have slowed by nearly two months due to the abolition of the 457 visa and reforms to the occupation list in the new immigration policy. The factors affecting processing times mainly include:
1. Whether the applicant provided all required application materials in full at the time of submission;
2. The quality and speed of any supplementary materials provided by the applicant;
3. The time required to conduct necessary checks on the materials provided by the applicant;
4. The time required to receive responses from other departments outside the Department of Home Affairs, especially regarding health, character, and national security checks;
5. The quota for immigration programs;
6. The volume of applications submitted during peak and off-peak seasons.